you don't go to death watch and come back to live to tell about it. managing those who end up on death row is one of the biggest challenges facing america's overburdened prison system. we're about to go inside riverbend maximum security institution. home to nearly all of tennessee's death row inmates. it contains the state's only operating death chamber. yet, even outside death row, the majority of riverbend's convicts are considered so dangerous they remain on lockdown 23 hours a day. you're about to see firsthand the extreme measures prison staff take to control such an explosive population and discover what can happen when so many offenders have so little to lose.

nashville, tennessee, is the world-famous home of country music, but just four miles from downtown is home to this state's most violent offenders. it's a high-tech correctional facility called riverbend maximum security institution. riverbend opened in 1989 and sits on 132 acres. it replaced its 100-year-old predecessor, the tennessee state penitentiary, known as the walls. today, riverbend houses close to 700 male inmates, 480 of them are high risk offenders, classified this way because they're a threat to the security of the institution and other inmates. >> we house the worst of the worst including the male inmates, male offenders that are sentenced to death. >> ricky j. bell is warden at riverbend.

he's been on the job since 1995. >> it's the state of the art operation. and very proud of what it represents for the taxpayers and the state. >> let's go! chow time! >> the prison compound consists of six different housing units. maximum security inmates live in one, three, and four. nicknamed the high side. it's here you will find riverbend's most dangerous inmates. >> the screaming never stops. it drives people crazy. i've seen a young man come to prison to maximum security, completely sane. three years later, he was screaming and cutting his self. >> ask me what being back here is like. it's like asking a cancer patient how it feels to die slowly. be dehumanized, belittled on a day-to-day basis. >> every day i walk through

those gates i'm fearful. anyone in this business for quite a bit of time who tells you they have no fear is not being genuine. >> the corporal has been at riverbend for six years. he works in maximum security unit one. >> inmates here are basically lockdown 23 out of 24 hours. they come out one hour daily for rec. and they come out 15 minutes every other day for a shower. >> under such tight supervision, the relationship between officer and inmate can be violent. >> i've been in two riots and maybe four or five are breakups of fights from other inmates. >> you have officers that provoke inmates and they create a situation to where an inmate becomes violent. >> the inmates in the maximum security unit are locked down not because of their crime but because of their violent behavior within the prison walls.

>> i smashed one of the officer's hands. in a pie flap. he had to get eight stitches. and she had blood clots in her arm. >> 21-year-old lewis ramone is one of the most violent inmates inside unit four. he is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. it's his actions inside riverbend that keep him in maximum security. he's only allowed to do this interview behind glass while in full restraints. >> i got a cup of urine i was going to throw at an officer when he come by. so they got a shield, electric shield and i still wouldn't move my hands. so they called the extraction team. i still didn't move. thigh had to go put pads on so i couldn't stick them. >> though his behavior while incarcerated has been extremely violent, the crime that put him behind bars was notorious. >> i was 15 years old.

i murdered my aunt with a butcher knife. i put on a hockey mask and brown coveralls and brown boots. they said i had bottled up anger. i was mad at my mom for the way she treated me. i figured i would kill her sister. i didn't want to kill my mom. i figured i'd kill her sister and slowly kill her mentally and emotionally. be is a -- i really ain't good at nothing. i think the whole thing i was meant for to be a serial killer, like that's my job. you know? in most ways, some ways i think if i get a chance to get out maybe i wouldn't do that, but since i ain't got no chance of getting out i might as well just carry out my plan to kill as many people as i can before i die. >> one of the ways riverbend staff tries to maintain control over violent inmates is with periodic cell searches.

>> turn around, sir. >> early this morning warden ricky bell called out the corrections emergency response team to randomly search cells throughout the compound. >> these inmates are here because of behavior. assaultive and if they can get their hands on pieces of metal, particularly, they will sharpen them down and make shanks and knives. >> the beginning of a homemade weapon has already been found in one of the maximum security cells. >> it's an arm brace or something. he already has the outline where he's fixing to sharpen it and make a weapon out of it. >> do this all the time. try to see if we have illegal things on us we're not supposed to have. i call it harassment, though. >> members of the emergency response team begin searching inmate terrell's cells by removing his pictures. >> you're not allowed to have anything on the doors or walls. they have 24 hours before they can put stuff. so it's an endless process.

>> no, no number on them. it is contraband. if we take it. >> once the officers are through with their search, terrell is returned to his cell. he's upset about how they left it. >> why did they take my hair comb? >> do what? >> why did they take my hair comb? >> there wasn't a number on it. >> it's like being buried alive. the little i do got, i want to hold on to. they don't care nothing about me. i'm just another body. i'm job security to them. they hate me. i speak out. i ain't timid. i ain't passive. that's right. up next -- >> ask you one more time and that's it. >> violence erupts inside riverbend forcing the response team to move in. >> face down.

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at the riverbend maximum security institution in tennessee, the inmates outnumber the officers almost four to one. >> i appreciate the job you're doing. continue to do. you make me proud every day that i'm -- i come into work. >> we have a correctional officer force here that i consider them to be second to none. this job is very demanding and the awards are small at times. >> being locked up 24 hours a day creates a hopeless atmosphere for the inmate. at times it's very combative. the fact that they feel like it's a hopeless situation for them. >> officer robert moseley managed to be on the job for two years before an inmate attacked him.

>> i got distracted as i'm applying the handcuffs. he grabbed my arm and pulled it in real quick and he ran a razor blade down my arm. >> officer moseley's injury required 59 stitches. he was unable to return to work for two months. >> it taught me a harsh reality check that you can't take this job for granted. they will cut you. don't ever take your eye off them. these guys have nothing to lose if they were to injury you. >> it's just for those reasons that corrections officers must constantly train and prepare for the worst. >> the taser does the muscular system. affects it. >> the officers practice on themselves and each other. >> he volunteered. >> i'm a gluten for punishment. >> it's a volunteer basis. don't make anybody take the charge. it gives us an idea of what kind of effect it's going to actually have on an inmate. are you ready? then you would aim in the center of the mass.

>> christ almighty that hurt. >> at commonly used device is the electronic capture shield. >> we use this to deliver -- shoots 1,000 volts at inmates once activated to go through the door. >> the remotely activated control belt known as the wrap belt is used when an inmate is transported outside the prison. >> when you're in the courtroom, okay, and if he's not wearing any restraints and decides to take off this will immobilize him. ready? >> oh, god. >> this type of training is vital to the security of riverbend where they average two cell extractions a month. >> going to ask you one more time, mr. cross. >> i got an idea. i have something for you, you, you and you. anybody else?

>> take his feet out. stretch him out. get his legs. >> i try to go through as much as if this was the real thing. the more training you get to do, the better you get, the less injury you have. >> almost immediately after this training exercise ended, the cell extraction team was called out an a real emergency. an inmate in unit three assaulted two officers. >> an inmate had a squirt bottle they use on the rec yard, had it filled with a substance and when i was carrying trays back downstairs is when he squeezed the water bottle is when he shot urine in my mouth and eye area. >> let's do it, guys. >> the cell extraction team's uniforms are not only designed for protection but for anonymity. >> when they go in, the inmates don't need to know who they are. we pull them from all different units. less than 45 minutes from now that same officer may be serving him his meal. >> turn the light on for me. >> for security and liability

reasons, prison officials videotape each cell extraction in its entirety. the out of control inmate in this cell turns out be terrell. still outraged by the loss of his items after the other day's cell search we captured on camera. >> you take my stuff. >> i'm going to ask you one more time. and that's it. >> the cell extraction team moves in. >> on the bed. face down. face down, guys. face down. don't resist. >> after a brief struggle, terrell is carried from his cell. he is brought outside where he'll be checked for any injuries and given time to cool off. >> if you would have complied, we wouldn't have to go through this. >> you take my stuff.

y'all did this. cutting off my mother -- circulation, i hope you have to cut my mother -- hand off. >> everything went the way it was supposed to. all his property is removed from the items. drinking items that he used to assault staff with. he'll be removed from restraints after he complies with procedures. >> i think it went excellent. nobody got hurt. coming up, we visit a completely different side of river bend prison. >> i was in protective custody because of the way child molesters are traditionally treated. so i certainly had some anxious moments.

at first impression, riverbend prison seems also deserted. the majority of inmates here are on 23 hour a day lockdown.

they never set foot on the grass yard. but when you cross the compound to the low side, the minimum security housing area, you find a unique unit very different from the rest of riverbend. in fact, different from many other prison facilities in the country. >> for the most part, i look for that unit to kind of police itself. we don't have a lot of violence or problems in there. they actually carry their own key to their cell. ♪ they say it's raining in denver that it's really kind of cold ♪ >> there seems to be kind of a macho order of what crimes are acceptable and what crimes are not. but at the end of the day, we're all wearing blue jeans with a white stripe on them. ♪ i'm just pulling time in nashville how am i supposed to know ♪

>> i've been to worse places. all i do is write songs and play guitar and study the bible and try to stay out of trouble. >> in most other prison environments, edward mckeown would be a marked man. >> i'm in effect a child molester, specifically the crime that i'm here for, you know, was for a teenage boy who was i guess 13 when i began abusing him. >> mckeown is a former catholic priest serving a 25-year sentence for sexual battery and rape. >> i was then and i am now a person of faith. i was certainly a person of faith i was active as a priest who had a very dark secret. who caused a great deal of harm in individuals' lives. that secret isn't there anymore. and that's probably -- this is going to sound crazy, i guess, one of the most -- one of the biggest blessings, if you can

say, about being here. now i would want to think that the outer me and the enemy are pretty much the same. i'll say to people and i'll say it again, i don't know how a person without faith does time. >> see, i hate could come in this cell. i mean, i despise this cell and any other cell and i have a lot of problems with the officers because i don't lock that door. i let them lock it. it's the worst part about doing time when you know you can't leave. >> rodney has been in prison for 16 years. when he was 18 he shot and killed a man while robbing a restaurant. rodney was sentenced to life for murder. he occupies his time with the prison job he's allowed to have in unit six. >> my job, i come here on death row. i feel trapped already. you see it's getting dark coming up in here. no way out. just one way in. when i go from unit six to death row, i'm always, like humbled.

i know that that could have been me. because they threaten me with the death penalty. >> another advantage to living in minimum security is visitation. these inmates can receive visitors three days a week. >> kiss. i have mixed emotions when i'm in visit with my mother. i know that she's hurting for me being in here. i know she may blame herself sometime for what happens. >> her birthday is next week. >> mine is coming up. >> you think she's going to be mad if i won't be able to get anything? >> no. i'm going to get them something. so you don't have to worry about that. we need him at home if we can ever get him there. there we need him at home. >> it's really painful to visit. when you see that person, your loved one walking out and you're walking back to be strip searched, i mean, that's just deep. i've been locked up virtually since age 12 in reform

schools and prisons and pent-up farms. i'm in here this time for prying into an empty drawer of a lobby in a hospital. i received a life sentence under what they call the habitual criminal clause because i was convicted so many times of theft, shoplifting and just being a pain to the members of society in midtown memphis. >> richie hall, nicknamed "ziggy," has spent 35 of his 50 years of life behind bars. most inmates dream of the day they'll leave prison. "ziggy" clearly isn't one of them. he's been known to sabotage his own parole hearing. >> i got a write-up. and i got a copy of it here. >> let me see. >> it's refusing to take a drug test, but it's altering it. when the officer asked me to urinate, i acted like i did and that's when he found altered urine. >> he then gave me a small plastic bag with a string tied to the bag.

therefore, inmate hall is charged with dsa, drug screen alterer. >> "ziggy" must go before the riverbend disciplinary board to determine his punishment. he is allowed to use an inmate adviser when facing the board. "ziggy" has chosen fellow unit six inmate mark higgins. >> i did this for a reason. it was because i'm coming up for parole here in less than three months. i'm not ready to get out. i don't have anybody out there to help me find a home. i don't have anybody out there to help me find a job. i don't have emotional or any kind of support. >> what we want to try to do then is minimize the punishment that might be involved on tampering with a drug screen. we're going to offer proof that you weren't afraid of the drug screening per se by having you tested immediately. >> the next morning, "ziggy" faces the disciplinary board. discipline board chairman lieutenant tommy vance sits in the position of judge.

>> how do you plead to the charge? guilty or not guilty? >> mr. hall pleads not guilty. >> any questions? >> yeah, richie, how many times have you been up for parole in the last 18 years? >> twice. >> what's happened each of those times? >> they continued me because of something i've done. >> why would you purposely try to ditch your parole? >> because i'm scared of getting out. >> you went before parole board before? >> yes. i've been locked up for so long that i'm conditioned to this environment. >> if you didn't want to make parole, can you say i don't want to go? >> i feel like i would be ostracized. other convicts are hoping for any kind of release. it's normal. >> is that it? >> yes, sir. >> guilty of the charge. of refusal, attempt to alter a drug screen.

recommend five days. assess a fee of $25. court order fine. recommend a job drop. do you want to fill this in? >> yes. >> i don't feel the $25 is appropriate. >> i can suspend that. i will suspend the $25. >> and richie would like a little time to get his affairs in order before he has to go away for five days. >> no. >> one of "ziggy's" punishments is to spend five days in the hole. >> please direct all my mail over to me. i won't be granted parole in april and that's mission accomplished. so i have to accept the consequences of what he said. >> be advised, number one inmate from unit six to unit three through the access road. >> i haven't used a phone in i'd say four years. i've had one visit in the 16 years i've been here. life out on the street wasn't all that great.

so i just look around me and say, hey this is where it's at. ♪ pulling time in nashville wasting days and wasting nights ♪

the nationwide ban against the death penalty was lifted in

1977. it wasn't until 2000 that robert glen koe became the first inmate to be put to death at tennessee in 40 years. so what is it like when an inmate faces his final days? it begins and ends with a process known as death watch. >> i've been on tennessee's death row 23 1/2 years. >> the execution chamber looms within walking distance from the inmates' block. it's also known as death watch. >> riverbend has the only execution chamber in tennessee to carry out executions. it was constructed with a death penalty in mind. >> i've had five execution dates. i went to death watch three times and i received a stay of execution. >> death watch is the area where the condemned inmate is housed three days prior to his execution. >> it was really hectic. because, number one, they come and get you, shock you. they take all your belongings,

inventory and give you a receipt for everything that you have. and they put it away for family members to pick up. >> i've had several execution dates. i came close to execution i think in the year of 2002. i was actually up on death watch. >> he has been on death row for 18 years for first-degree murder. abu has fought hard to have his death sentence overturned but almost lost that battle and his life. >> i knew they were going to pick me up that night that i wasn't -- i wasn't going to eat, i wasn't going to sleep or drink water. that was my nonviolent way of protesting. >> in 2002, abu was brought over to death watch to begin the three days there before his scheduled execution. >> when they were restraining me with full restraints, the handcuffs and chains i was walking from here over to where the big visitor room is at, they

were watching me 24 hours a day. you can't even use the bathroom unless they have to write it down on the log. i was in another world. literally. i had to be in another world. because if not, i would have cracked down and resorted to my suicidal tendencies that i experienced during the course of my whole life. >> just one day before his scheduled execution, abu received a visit from a federal investigator. >> and i looked at her. and she said she finally got a stay. and that's when i almost said if it wasn't for this shelf life thing, the hold me as i was going down, i probably would have fell all the way to the floor. >> we have four holding cells that are here on death watch. we have staff that work back here on 12-hour shifts when we activate this. staff are trained to work in this environment. and they're all volunteers.

>> you know it's serious business, of course. everything is very clinical and methodical. and, of course, as each hour goes by, you get closer and closer. >> this is the execution chamber. as you'll notice, there is an electric chair that is here and the gurney that we use for lethal injection. >> prior to 1999, anyone given the death penalty in tennessee was sentenced to die by electrocution. >> the inmates after january 1st, 1999, have a choice. if they refuse to pick, then by default it went to lethal injection. this is the room where they would be for electrocution. this is where the volts come in and goes through the transform near the machine itself and goes out at 1750 volts. we have this machine set to run in 20 seconds, disengage for 15

seconds and then reenergize for 15 seconds. after that, doctor would come in and examine the condemned to see if there is any signs of life or death. this is the head piece that would be used. if you notice, there is a cable here. this would actually go into this apparatus. the head is entirely shaved as well as both legs from the knee down and they're actually wearing shorts. there would be a sponge such as this. it will be salt brine solution that will be removed, placed into the helmet and go on to the head. also, there would be sponges that will be removed and placed around both ankles. this is a shroud that would actually cover the headpiece. you don't have an option whether to wear the blindfold or not. it's mandatory. the flow is by cable from the base of the chair into the headpiece and both ankles. and it would complete the circuit.

this is the gurney that we use for the lethal injection. there are two iv lines come to the portal in the wall. one line would go to the left arm with the right being the backup. this is the room to where the executioner would be. the lethal injection. the iv solution is here. syringes would be in this area. we have phones, camera directly above the gurney where the executioner can watch the process to make sure they're getting a good feed. should you get a clogged line, the executioner would stop and go to the backup line. this is the official witness room. the official witnesses are set here. it could be clergy, the family of the condemned, seven media representatives and, of course, now the family of the victim that are over 18 can witness it, too.

and the warden gives the cue to start the execution process. and it could be any type thing from scratching your head to removing your glasses or pick up a phone or intercom and say, proceed. >> since he's been warden at riverbend prison, ricky bell has overseen one execution. >> this entire unit showed their respect for robert koe. i don't think anyone even took a tray that day for food or what have you. >> i really believe they would kill me. and to see him leave that day and not come back, reality begin to sink in even more. >> you know, it's just something that you mentally prepare for. you know that it's coming and you realize your responsibility. and you think about the victims. you think about the family of the condemned as well. and you realize that, you know, you carry a lot of weight on your shoulder.

that's what i try to do. i try to make sure that all the ts are crossed and is are dotted and things are carried out as planned. >> everybody is going to do their job. and if you don't receive a stay of execution, you know they are going to kill you.

riverbend maximum security prison houses most of tennessee's death row inmates. >> life on death row, just what you make of it. it could be a living hell. it could be peace. you know, you can experience the highs and lows no matter where you are. >> unit two is death row. currently we have 92 inmates here at this site. >> we monitor everything by camera to see who is standing there. if you don't recognize them, an officer will go back there and see who it is. >> in the past 45 years, tennessee has only executed one person. but that statistic doesn't give false hope to those living on death row. >> according to the tennessee supreme court, supposed to be executed on the eighth of june. i don't see clemency from the governor or anybody else in my future. >> i got within six days of execution date.

in november of 2004. >> when it comes my time, hey, i'm going to lay down and just deal it with, you know? >> while most of the men on death row hope for clemency, there is one inmate who admits his guilt and expects to be executed. >> i was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder, my children. and the sentence is death on each count. it wasn't a question of who did it. there's no doubt. probably an hour and a half after everything happened, i went to the police station of my own volition and made a statement for about an hour. >> in 1997, darrell holtom confessed to shooting his three young boys and his ex-wife's 4-year-old daughter, killing them all. >> i miss them. but, no, i can't say that i feel any remorse. >> darrell has never tried to fight his death sentence. >> can you mitigate the death of four children? with a straight face? the fact that my children are dead, that i'm the one that

killed them. i'm not going to sell out. i'm not going to change my views on the death penalty just because i'm facing the death penalty. i do think that death penalty is appropriate in some cases. and i've got a low tolerance for someone that claimed they didn't do something that they actually did. >> darrell is allowed only one hour of recreation time a day and must be escorted in chains and leg irons by two officers. >> any movement outside your cell is valued. the walls sort of limit your field of vision. so you get a sense of the open air, even if it is inside of a cage. >> john johnson has been on death row for 20 years. >> i was arrested in 1984, convicted of murder of my wife in 1985. when i first went to death row, i was somewhat shocked. you can't really know in a prison cell until you get there. and you get to the point where you don't really think about it.

every day when we get up, a lot of us, we work on our cases. it's like getting in a car every day out there. every day we get up and get in that car and we hope we don't get run over. we're all going to die sometime. so thousands of people get killed in automobile wrecks in many other ways while we're here waiting to be executed by the state. >> the fate of each man on death row will play out in its own time. but to fill this time, riverbend has integrated a unique incentive program for the inmates. those on levels a and b are given more privileges, more rec time, jobs in the unit, educational programs, and increased visitation. darrell holtom, like the other level cs, gets no visitation and is locked down 23 hours a day. >> we were the first state to have any such operation such as this level system with our death row inmates, and we have received both national and international attention with this. it's quite different than what you see in most operations.

>> i was convicted of murder in the first degree. sentenced to death. i was on death row 8 1/2 years. it was almost like being in a closet. with no way out. the only way out would be to come out toe first. >> but when i was on death row, i went to the library every day. every time the library was open, i was there. >> eventually his lawyers, with frederick's help, got his death sentence overturned. >> it was converted to life in prison with parole. the biggest difference that i see compared to death row and population is the fact that you go from being in a cage to out in the open like we are in the open now. >> while at riverbend, frederick writes articles for the prison newspaper about his experience. >> three years ago i sat on death row, contemplating my future. you never know what to expect out of life. but death has no exception. i realize that by being on death row how much my life meant to me.

the past stays the same. but we as a people, are capable of changing. i think my future is bright. i'm still fighting my case. i know one day i'll be out. >> but for darrell holton, he is counting on never getting out of prison alive. >> supposedly they were serious about executing me last year, supposedly they're serious about executing me this year. if the past is any indication, i don't think they're very serious. and that's not bravado. it's more an issue of integrity. a deal is a deal. coming up -- >> i've been locked up for six years and today i'm going home. >> a last day spent at riverbend before a walk into freedom. she loves to shop online with her debit card, and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over

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the average stay at riverbend prison is 25 years.

37% will be paroled before the end of their sentence. for some of these inmates, walking out the gates of riverbend can almost be as nerve-racking as the first day they arrived. >> i've been in lockup for six years. straight. never been out. i have made parole. and today i'm going home. >> michael brady in riverbend for aggravated robbery. when he leaves today, he will still have three years of parole. >> i'm nervous. i want to know what people are going to be thinking about me because they know that i've been in prison. i'm going to have to get used to being back out and not knowing where to go. >> across the unit six pod, david taylor is also getting ready to be released on parole. >> i was 23 years old and robbed a bank. i didn't have a weapon. there is no intention of hurting anybody. i made a mistake. >> david taylor had been a free

man. out on parole for seven years when he failed to report to his parole officer. david has been back at riverbend for one year. >> i'm not coming back. ain't no chance of that. no way. just a rat race. a controlled life. can't do nothing. 42 years old. too old for this. >> michael was very young when he first came to prison on a parole violation for aggravated assault. he believes his time at riverbend has matured him. >> it's helped me to cope with some issues that i have. and it's -- i was going to say a good place. but it's not. prison is not no good place. >> don't forget my guitar. >> i figured you might leave it for later. >> david's cellmate, greg edwards, has to wait another three months for parole. >> i'm happy for him. i just, you know, i see these guys come and go. but i know this guy right here,

you know, he's -- he knows this ain't no life. >> the time has come for these two inmates to say good-bye to their lives behind bars. >> i'll holler at you. >> michael's wife and sister will be meeting him to take him home. >> it's been a nightmare, you know? but it's over now. you know? and this is what i've been looking forward to. this is the day that we start over. >> i'm feeling nervous because i see my wife every weekend at visit, but i'm always got somebody on my shoulder saying, hey, you're getting too friendly, or hey, you can't hug her. so i'm going to be kind of cautious holding her and kissing her, but i just can't wait. >> there is only paperwork between these inmates and their freedom. >> y'all be good. >> i'm shaking now. i'm nervous.

i don't know. >> put the name on the bottom of your form. a name and telephone number. as soon as you get to your home, call them. they will have some special directions for you. may save you a trip. >> are you ready? >> no. yes. >> it's going to be a weird feeling. these are state pants and state clothes. they ain't no good. can't wait to put my levis on. >> while michael and david are waiting for their final release, a new inmate arrives at riverbend. >> it's something i hopefully will forget. but the first day that i come here, it was painful. i realized i really ruined my life. as you see, i'm getting a second chance to fix it. so i can't do nothing but better myself. >> good luck, man. don't come back, man. thank you. appreciate it, man.

>> that's right. >> get a job. go to work. >> just make sure you report to your parole officer as soon as you -- >> as soon as i get to that. >> okay. it's very important. i know this is you, but -- >> it's easy to get in, but it's hard to leave. it takes a long time to leave. >> we want them to go. >> three stops. last stop, front door. >> last stop, front door. >> all right. >> the moment has come when michael and david are legally released from riverbend. >> this is it. words can't explain it. 264208. >> it is an emotional reunion for michael and his family. while david wastes no time in leaving riverbend.

>> it's over with. >> do you want to pinch me now? >> yeah. >> it's not a dream. i am coming home. >> michael is outside without bars and razor wire for the first time in six years. >> i can't stop shaking. >> i know it. >> we got married when i was 18. it was, i guess, love at first sight. i know that i hurt her. but now all my main goal is is to get out there and do right. when i leave here today, i know in my heart i'm never coming back. >> he's made a lot of friends over here. >> not friends. >> we're ready to have him at home where he belongs. >> not long after our cameras left riverbend, violence struck once again. a 38-year-old inmate was stabbed to death with a prison-made weapon, his upper body set on fire.

the unit was put on lockdown. that's our report. thanks for watching. i'm john seigenthaler. due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. there are two million people behind bars in america. we open the gates. "lockup." >> don't be weak in prison. that's a downfall. >> i didn't like the way you allowed them to punk you. >> when they said 15 to life in prison, it was the scariest thing i ever had to go through. >> when i walked back here, it was horrifying. >> i want to be outside.